Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus flight Dublin to London was comfortabe enough, plenty of legroom but the service on plane left a lot to be desired on both outbound and return flights between Dublin and London. When providing snack service the gentleman beside me was asked if he required anything, whilst I was not given the same courtesy, with them walking off without any acknowledgement. Same situation with duty free. Asked while quickly walking down the aisle if anyone wished to make a purchase, and continued walking without looking at passengers to see if they required anything. Thought I would get duty free on return flight instead, only to push my attendant button, as requested over the speaker to do so if wanting duty free. However, this was ignored and when I managed to get hold of someone to directly tell them I was waiting to order I was advised we were landing and could not do so. Worst service received and will never book through Aer Lingus again.

In transit from JFK I was a little nervous about having Duty Free, as there was no transfer route open and we had to go out and check in again. The sealed duty free bag worked perfectly and me and my hand luggage were soon inside the Business Class lounge at Shannon, which is lovely - if lacking in food stuff - with delightful staff. Staff on the flight were friendly and Irish breakfast was soon on my tray table. The orange juice had a strange fizzy taste on drinking and sadly would appear that it was off. The new coffee offering also doesn't seem that popular - sharp and bitter tasting and I noticed quite a few customers sending it back untouched. Arrived into Terminal 2 in time and checked bag collection took 10 minutes. A nice flight, despite the breakfast disaster.

We checked in early at JFK for EI110 to Shannon, and the process was quick and painless. Terminal 5 is well organised and went through Fast Track security. The new Gold Circle Lounge is around Gate 26 which is a bit of a trek away from the departure gates. Aer Lingus offer a dine before you board facility in the lounge, but it's not that bi, and the selection is not that great - the sandwich options were a better option. Boarding on time and we soon relaxed in seats 2F and 2D with a glass of champagne before take off. Two very nice crew looked after us on the flight which seemed busy - Business Class was full. The seats were different on this flight (an Aer Lingus branded plane it was a Boeing 757 operated by Air Contractors). There was no difference in crew service and quality of catering. After take off drinks and canapés offered which were great. The senior crew member in Business was polite and friendly and interacted well. Dinner with a choice of Herb Crusted Loin of Lamb, Roast Chicken Breast with Ricotta Cannelloni, and Roasted Cod with cabbage and fennel. This was followed by a cheese plate. My partner had the vegetarian meal which was stuffed ravioli and thoroughly enjoyed. PTV screen wasn't as big as the outward journey but selection of films and TV was around the same. The seat more or less was flat, and was comfortable enough to grab a cat nap. Breakfast was served around an hour from Shannon - fruit plate, Hot Irish Bacon Roll which was delicious, and coffee. A very pleasant experience that I would happily repeat.

I fly Birmingham to Dublin regularly, used to fly Manchester to Dublin many times a year. Seems that they reduce the frequency on these busy routes in the Summer to deploy aircraft on seasonal routes. Schedules in Winter are much better and have just booked five flights for the next few months from Birmingham. Interestingly every one of them was cheaper than flights on same dates at similar times with Ryanair. I always fly Aer Lingus over Ryanair unless there is a huge difference in price. The aircraft are usually clean and trolleys well stocked. I say this because it seems on Ryanair they stock the trolleys in the morning and sell out on later flights. A benefit of flying Aer Lingus is you arrive and depart T2 Dublin. Aer Lingus has been marketing itself as a low cost airline, and they charge for food and drinks. Overall always happy with Aer Lingus.

Hadn't flown Aer Lingus for a while so was interested to see what the London to Dublin hop was like these days. As had an onward connection was given a Gold Circle Lounge pass - the lounge is well appointed in Terminal 2 and nicely decorated although found the food offerings slightly lacking. The flight was delayed by 30 minutes but we were kept updated and boarding was prompt and efficient. We were seated in 12E and F and sound the amount of legroom ok. The captain was keen to try and make up time so the service inflight was pretty rushed with the Bia trolleys not reaching all the passengers. Crew coped well though and were polite and friendly throughout. A nice flight that arrived in Dublin only 15 minutes late compared to the 30-40 minutes late departure from LHR.

I hadn't travelled Aer Lingus Business Class for about 15 years and was looking forward to a trip down memory lane as I used to do the Dublin to JFK route regularly. The trip had been planned for ages, and I had checked and double checked the arrangements with the Airline about 4-5 times as I had booked through an agent and all seemed in order. Arrived Saturday morning and had a painless check in and bag drop and soon found ourselves in the T2 Business Class lounge which is nice and well appointed. The food offering is nowhere near as good as other lounges with limited cold stuff available. We were called to go through Immigration at 09.30 and the idea of doing this in Dublin rather face the queues at JFK is still pure genius. This was quick and efficient and couldn't be faulted and we were in the boarding area within 15 minutes before being called to Board the EI105 at 10.00. We were greeted by the Cabin Service Manager who showed us to our seats in 2H and 2K. Jackets were taken and we were offered a drink by the lovely Senior Cabin crew member who looked after us throughout the flight. Take off was on time. Shortly after take off we were offered drinks and a smal dish of canapés. I was a bit surprised that my Vegetarian partner was offered the fish ones, and at this stage we discovered that the many times confirmed Lacto Vegetarian meal had not been loaded. The crew said not to worry and they would sort something out. The lunch menu offered a choice of starters of Chicken Liver Pate or Burren Smokehouse hot and cold smoked salmon which is pictured. My partner was offered the cheese plate from the dessert offering. I had the Salmon which was great. Mains were a choice of Collar of Irish Bacon, Lambay Island Irish Lamb Stew or a Luxury Crisp fish pie - the crew recommended the bacon which is pictured and was delicious. At this point my partner was advised that the Vegetarian meal had been found (looked like in economy) and it was just the tray that was missing. He was served a Vegetarian pasta dish which he said was fine Dessert was a choice of Lemon Tart or Cheese Plate both of which wee good and there was a rather nice Sancerrre on offer with lunch which was also good This was the new style business class but it would appear that Aer Lingus has ditched the idea of dining on demand as this was not offered. The new seat is brilliant though a massive lie flat bed, that is really comfy, together with a big screen to enjoy a decent selection of television in demand, and free wifi for business class customers. There is also a selection of snacks in the galley now - crisps sandwiches fruit - that kind of thing. About an hour before landing we were served a rather odd Super Power Salad of quinoa, courgette and feta cheese which wasn't the tastiest thing I had ever had on a plane, but the scones that accompanied it were great. We landed in JFK at 13.15 and we were out of Terminal 5 and in Terminal 4 with bags at 13.35 which was absolutely superb. All in all, despite the meal mix up, this was an excellent Transatlantic crossing that left many other bigger airlines in the shade, and given the favourable price, one that I would happily recommend.

Full flight, left and arrived on time. Did not purchase any refreshments on this short journey.

Aer Lingus has lived in my memory fondly for years, primarily due to their past excellent service on both transatlantic and regional routes. No more. This short flight was enough to convince me that the Irish government was foolish in not allowing Ryanair to buy out the "flag carrier" and put it to its well-deserved death. Dublin Airport is one of the worst there is - long foot travel, very few conveniences, unhelpful staff, generally a frenzied dump of an airport, and this swaps over onto Aer Lingus, too. The former proud little airline hit hard times and sought to revive its fortunes as "ultra low cost carrier", thus taking on Ryanair head to head - what a stupid idea. Legroom is so tight. There is no inflight entertainment of any kind, the cabin was not fresh, and absolutely everything - from water on down, must be purchased from sometimes surly staff. British Airways has just bought Aer Lingus, possibly to establish its own low-cost brand, but I am hoping against the odds that they will actually invest and restore Aer Lingus to what it once was and used to be - a decent airline with happy employees and excellent service to and from Ireland.

Chose Aer Lingus primarily due to low fare compared to more established airlines which fly Germany to the USA. You have to pay for your beer or wine. Otherwise, the on-board service was top and the food quality very good. Economy seats had more legroom than many other airlines. However, the main advantage is going through US Immigration in Dublin and landing domestic at terminal 5 at JFK New York. In my previous experience, immigration in NY or SFO often means standing in line for up to 2 hours.

Flew with Aer Lingus Regional operated by Stobart Air from Dublin to Manchester. At Dublin Airport boarding was efficient and relaxed even though we were bussed to a remote stand. The 70 seater ATR 72-600 is in a 2-2 seating configuration so I found the smaller aircraft more relaxing than an A320 or B738. The aircraft was modern (2 years old) and clean. Seat comfort and legroom were reasonable enough. Drinks and snacks were sold on this flight even though it was very short. The two cabin crew members were very friendly. The flight arrived on time in Manchester and we were bussed to Terminal 1. If you are flying Aer Lingus Regional from Dublin I advise going through security at Terminal 1 as the walk to the gates is shorter.